Pentagenarians & Beyond: W/B 8/10

Hi Everyone,

I took today off work and spent the afternoon at the hospital with FIL. It sounds like he will be released tomorrow to go back to his assisted living facility. DH talked with FIL's doctors and there isn't anything they can do about the lung condition. FIL will be getting hospice/palliative care from here on. He is very weak, and cannot even walk across a room, with oxygen, without gasping for air and needing help. :( It is sad and I feel so bad for DH and SIL. I know how much they wanted FIL to get better and thrive in assisted living. DH is being very strong and I am proud of him. It's also sad because of FIL's dementia, he has no idea how sick he is and he keeps asking us when he can go back home and if his car is ok. :(
 
Hi Deb, Josie, Valerie, Lori, and Judy--

This morning I did XTrain bis and tris (45:34).

Raining here today. I did get a spa pedicure and then went to a sale at our local boutique and found a great Eileen Fisher skirt and top and a dress that has a vintage look, all at 60 percent off. This means that I will have to cull three items I no longer wear from my closet. That's my policy now so I don't end up with closets crowded with things I no longer like/wear.

Judy, it does sound like your FIL needs pretty much constant attention. It must be very disheartening for your DH, who has tried so hard to help his dad.

Hope you are not getting too much rain, Lori. We didn't get hit too hard, but I heard there was flooding along the shore and to the south..

Hi to Deb, Josie, and Valerie!
 
Judy, in a way maybe it's best he doesn't realize how sick he is. so sorry this is proving to be so difficult for everyone. if he was going to improve, chances are it would have happened by now.

we got a fair amount of rain last night which was good. things were dry but not so much anymore. nothing violent just nice steady rain much of the night. not true everywhere though, some areas had troubles.

Did Flex train today... I did weights I've done before except for a couple small things. did knee pushups on the drop sets rather than toes. I'm still somewhat sore from burnsets.... just a little sore, not ridiculous. did toe pushups on the sets of two. DH and I have talked about how we both somehow got off track simultaneously on workouts. we will be aware from now on and more watchful. cycling is great for legs but it is not upper body or core.

was the cathe site down this morning? I couldn't access and thought it was my system acting up.
 
Good morning,

the site was down yesterday early, (when I usually post), and I left early for work so I didn't get to post.

Lynda, that is a smart way to do it, get rid of stuff when you buy new.

Judy, I feel for you and your DH. It is a very hard thing to go through. When my Dad passed away, it was out of the blue and a shock, but when I think about it, it was probably the best way. He always said that he never wanted to have to be in a nursing home or even AL. He just got his newspaper, his coffee was being made, he said on the couch and just passed away. We did not have an autopsy or anything, they figured it was a stoke or aneurysm.

Valerie, yes, the forum was down. You could probably get away with just doing toe push ups for an upper body workout, and all the riding and hiking you do definitely has the lower body covered.

Lori, hope that rain did not last too long where you are. When do you go home?

Josie & Lynda, when you decided to retire, were you scared and nervous about it? I want to retire but when I think about it, I get butterflies and am a wreck. what does that mean?

I can't wait for the weekend, however, I have a retirement party to go to that I going to take up most of Saturday afternoon...and we are doing an agility demo in the morning, where we have to lug all the equipment over to the old Amherst Museum field where they yearly Scottish Festival is held. They ask us back every year. We set up at 8:00, then run the dogs over and over while people watch. It's fun, but I wish I could just stay there for the day.

Take care,
 
Good morning ladies!

Yesterday I actually did yoga for about an hour in the community room. Met this woman who happens to be a yoga instructer and next thing you know we made plans to do some at 9am. Doing again today too. Really liked it. Was nice having someone right there with you versus a DVD. I followed up with Suzanne Bowen's Total Body Barre.

Lynda...Yes we had some rain here yesterday! Lots of it too. We knew it was going to rain today so we planned around it. It actually ended up being a rest day for us. We needed a day of no sun and just relaxation.

Deb...we leave on Saturday and should be home by the afternoon. It has been a nice week.

Valerie...yes the site was down yesterday morning. There have been some glitches with the recent server change over. After my yoga experience I can see why you enjoy classes as much as you do.

Judy..my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. This must be so hard on all of you.

Hi to Josie!
 
Deb retirement is a big change... you need activities or interests to fill a lot of time. IMO some together and some by yourself. Having DH around all the time..... it has good sides and downsides. we're able to go places more easily but it feels so open ended that the incentive to pack up and go isn't always there. we used to do things because we had 2 weeks and had to make it work. now, if the weather doesn't look good we procrastinate. still, we do a lot of things, not necessarily "big" trips. lots of small ones.

I missed the camaraderie and casual socializing with work friends. that went away pretty quickly for me.... people move on and you don't have job things in common anymore. some people don't like retirement and go back into the workplace or volunteer. I have my yoga classes, and am adamant about keeping that going even if DH seems to resent it sometimes.

My father had a big heart attack. someone did CPR and he survived it. it was a several year downward spiral after that. he had an implanted defibrillator, tons of meds, very sick much of the time. in hindsight it would have been better if he'd passed abruptly. but no one knows that at the time.

Lori for me, yoga doesn't work home alone. it's not intuitive for me. I much prefer it in a small group. I don't like the impersonal nature of big classes much.
 
Hi Deb, Josie, Valerie, Lori, and Judy--

This morning I did All Out Low Impact Hiit and core 1 (49:22).

Feels a little bit like fall here today.

Deb, yes, I had some episodes of anxiety about retirement. So many arrangements to be made on Medicare and insurance; what to do with all of my accumulated books and papers; moving to a new office; setting up my accounts with TIAA-CREF for a steady stream of income. Everything worked out fine and I still have colleagues/friends I see regularly and I still do the work I enjoy, as opposed to the grading and meetings I came to dislike intensely. I have a lot of interests I can pursue at leisure now rather than feeling pressed for time to fit them in. And some of these interests (writing, research) are still work-related, so I don't feel as though I just stopped being a serious intellectual.

Judy, like Deb, my relatives with one exception died very suddenly. Dementia I would regard as very painful--the gradual loss of mental acuity in someone you love. My dad died when I was only 2 of a massive stroke. My mom was very sharp with such a good memory to the very end. A sudden heart attack took her at 92. DH's parents are both doing great. His 90 year old father plays a round of golf every other day and is a serious flower gardener. His mom is a bell ringer at her church and an avid reader of history. She plays golf as well.

Lori, it sounds as though you are enjoying a great vacation and learning to like yoga as well.

Valerie, it's great that you and your DH do so much together. Maybe if my DH wasn't such a workaholic we would do more things together.

Hi to Josie!
 
Hi Ladies,

Went to body pump today at 6:45 AM. I almost cancelled on my friend, but forced myself to go since she would be there. I was very tired from the long day on the road yesterday.
My best friend is coming over for a three day visit so that we can catch up. The last time I saw her was last year at my retirement party.

Deb, I to was anxious when I decided to retire. It took me a couple of months to get used to my new life, but now I love it and don't miss work at all. I still keep in touch with most of my co-workers and join them for lunch once in a while.

Lori, glad that you and your DH are having a good time. I have tried yoga several times, but just can't get into it.

Judy, sending prayers your way.

Valerie, once my DH retires I doubt that we will workout together. He plays tennis and that is it for him. We will be traveling more though :)

Hi Garance!

Josie
 
Good morning and Happy Friday to the "working stiffs" ! :)

One more day until 2 days off. However tomorrow is pretty busy for me.

Lori, it's great that you have been able to keep up with your workouts while on vacation. did you bring Travel Fit?

Valerie, You and your DH have the right idea with keeping busy with things that are good for you. I know I would do more workouts if I was not working, stress from work is what sabotages my working out schedule. Mostly because of crappy sleep. I don't think I will miss much about work. It's the comfort of the paycheck coming in, and I know that heath care is going to be very high for John and I until he is on Medicare.

Lynda, & Josie, glad to hear I am not the only one that has anxiety about retirement. I keep imagining being retired and regretting the decision for some reason, and it's isn't something you can just say, "oh I made a mistake, I want to come back to work".

Hi to Judy,

What's everyone doing this weekend?
 
Good morning ladies!

Yesterday was 45 minutes of Yoga and then then I did a couple of Total Body Barre workouts totaling 40 minutes. Today is Yoga and Cathe's recent Live which is Hi Lo Cardio Core.

Deb...i saw that you commented on the instructions for the tote. I am the same way as you, I need pictures. It does sound like a cute idea and many not so challenged will do fine with the directions! I have done travel fit once early in the week and plan again for tomorrow it is one of my favorite travel workouts. I also found on you tube a couple of 30 minute resistance band workouts that look good too. I may try one out. Depends on time.

Lynda...I am sorry to hear that you Father died when you were 2. My dad passed when I was 4 so I know what it was like growing up without your Dad. Amazing that DH's parents are 90 and going strong. I love hearing these stories!

Josie...have fun with your friend.

Valerie...I can see how home yoga does not work. It was so different with some one. Her husband came yesterday so it was the 3 of us. Was really nice and boy she was amazing!

Hi to Judy!

As far as retirement...I dream of it and can not wait for the day I can tell everyone..see ya!!!!! :D
 
"Retirement" for me was tough. I was only 45 and bam, e out of the blue everyone got axed. the industry changed, comparable jobs evaporated. I applied for lots but clearly was too old. got used to answering when I graduated from HS. got one position based in new jersey. it was awful. my positions always involved a lot of travel and the company did not support its employees. You'd arrive at the site.. made us travel on sunday.... and often none of the equipment would be there yet. would dribble in day by day and a several days might pass before we could get the install process started, and then a mad rush on Thursday to try to complete everything. I didn't last long with that place. after that I did medical transcription. for 8-10 years. suddenly electronic medical records and in a flash, the whole field was gone. so 'retired" again. there was a dust up shortly before... someone decided it was a conflict of interest to transcribe records so I was out of it anyway... never mind that the company itself set up the arrangement, knowing full well we were married. it made it an unpleasant parting of ways again. 3 very unpleasant "partings" and I didn't look for anything else after.

DH was concerned about retirement but he adjusted quickly and does not plan on returning to the grind. all the stress going away is wonderful.

I did yoga in the am and 30 on the elliptical later. found some things to watch on PBS.

I don't have a close supportive family. even less now than I thought. DH was surprised at how unpleasant things became and how cold my mother was.

think we will move wood today for an upper body workout.
 
Hi Deb, Josie, Valerie, Lori, and Judy--

This morning I did Flextrain (56:36) and last night, I took Max for a 3 mile walk.

Deb, I know what you mean about the security of a paycheck, but after 40 years of saving for retirement, it seemed foolish not to begin enjoying those savings. I think the real clincher was a colleague who had continued teaching until at 70, she died suddenly. I didn't want to suddenly be diagnosed with terminal cancer and never have relaxed a bit. I also was unhappy with the crazy bureaucratic nightmare my colleagues had created in order to re-invent the English major to make it more appealing. Turns out it did not make it more appealing and majors have continued to decline in number. Course enrollments remain high, but I think students increasingly regard an English major as impractical.

I think I will go to see Boyhood, a new film that has received good reviews, this weekend. Other than that, the usual Housemax and some planning for a trip to Minnesota (my 50th high school reunion coming up).

Lori, yes, it was hard on my mom raising me and two of my older sisters by herself. My oldest sister was already out of the house and married when I was 4.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!
 
Good morning & Happy Weekend,

We are getting ready to go to the Scottish Festival, have to pack a lot of stuff, dog stuff mostly of course!

Lori, I found some good workouts on YouTube too...did you ever see the ones by Jessica Smith? She has all kinds, metabolic, band, weights, various cardio...they are all about 30 minutes too. I put them on my iPad. Have a safe drive home. I bet the dogs will be thrilled to see you.

Valerie, sometimes I wish I was "forced" to retire, so that the decision was out of my hands. Like if they offered some kind of buy out package, that I couldn't refuse or something. It's the comments that you, Lynda and Josie make that makes me think that it is the right decision.

Lynda, Wow 50th HS reunion!! Hope the movie is good. Thank you for the input...you and others are so right. I have been in this job for almost 42 years! Enough is enough. Just like you said about the teacher you knew, a guy that worked for me delayed it for 3 years, and died not even 6 months after he retired. I want to enjoy some time while I am still healthy and can do things. I can always get a part time job doing something I like right? No people working for me to worry about, no travel..YaY!

Hi to Josie, & Judy,

Have a great weekend!
 
Good morning ladies!

Well going home this morning. We are completely packed. Did everything last night. Only thing not packed are a change of clothes, toothpaste and coffee! :). We want to head out before the traffic gets ridiculous.

Deb...I LOVE coming home to the dogs after vacation. We miss them as much as they miss us. They go nuts and we love it. Hoping to take Chester for a nice walk later today that I am sure he will enjoy. Have fun at the festival!

Lynda...50 years! Awesome that you are planning to travel back for it. I am only 2 hours away from my home town. This July was my 35 reunion. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend. Actually only 6 people went. They had it in the middle of July! What were they thinking?

Valerie...that had to be tough. 45 then no job. Technolgy is good but boy so many people have had their loves turned upside down because of it. No yoga today. :(. Hoping I stick with it. At least once or twice a week.

Hi to Judy and Josie!
 
Lynda that is terrific...50 yrs. I might be coming up on that also. I graduated half semester ahead of most of the kids I went to school with. sort of in a limbo state as to which "class" I belong to. not sure I'd attend... I've kept in touch with the people I was close to. Losing your father so young... you must barely remember him.

Lori the surprise of losing the job ...these days we take the internet for granted. "way back " 20 years ago these kinds of things could happen without warning. and without any way to get info about what really happened and why. suddenly everyone was out of a job with no way to communicate. we were flown out of town for a "meeting", and were run thru the process like cattle. before we could get to the airport all intra company communications were cut off. they went to great lengths to make sure no one knew what was about to happen or was able talk about it after. It was a humiliating and depressing experience. something happened in management because not 2 years before people retired with bonuses, getting to keep the company car, accolades and fanfare. 2 yrs later, many hundreds were drummed out like we had the plague without reason or explanation. .

Lori sounds like a good trip to the beach.. dogs are always so happy to see you when you get back... so much fun to see it.
I've done yoga for a long time now, usually twice a week. I like it... but not enough to replace other things... but it's a great addition. we get some serious strength training in the class I go to. different than weights but effective.

Deb, getting a good offer to retire .....lots of companies do that to get rid of the higher paid employees. maybe you'll get an offer like that. it would sort of make the decision for you but after that long it will still be scary at first.

we did the wood moving yesterday. took about 4 hours. 3 huge truckloads loaded, unloaded and stacked. I didn't get sore!! it was a LOT of work.
 
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